Category: Speeches

  • Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-05-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the additional annual cost at 2014 prices of the further tranche of Intercity Express Programme electric trains for the Intercity East Coast Franchise under the contract signed on 16 April.

    Baroness Kramer

    In April 2014 financial and commercial close was reached for the full fleet of trains for the East Coast Main Line (ECML). The net present value (NPV) of the deal was £2.7bn in 2009 prices.

    It is not possible to disaggregate the different elements of the ECML fleet as the contract was completed for the full fleet. All figures for the Programme are presented in 2009 prices to allow comparison, it is therefore not possible to provide any figures in 2014 prices.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 335W, on the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002, what discussions (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have held with the Health and Safety Executive regarding the implications for diver safety or revoking the regulations; and what the outcomes were of those discussions.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is still our policy to revoke the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002.

    There have been no specific discussions between Ministers or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the implications for diver safety or revoking the regulations since May 2013. However, the proposal was raised by the MCA at a meeting with HSE’s Offshore Division in July 2013 to consider a range of regulatory issues affecting the offshore sector, and it was agreed to discuss in more detail as the proposals are developed, and prior to any changes to the regulations.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-05-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the value of the grey economy”

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to develop the North Wales line from Crewe to Holyhead in conjunction with the building of High Speed 2.

    Stephen Hammond

    No such assessment has been made. The opening of High Speed 2 will release capacity for train services on existing lines, including on the West Coast Main Line. Precise details of stopping patterns will be resolved when the relevant rail franchises are let in due course.

    In the meantime, we will shortly announce a transparent and participatory process to consider long-term issues, opportunities and options for rail services on HS2 corridors.

    We are also working with the Welsh Government who are developing a business case for the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to simplify ombudsman services in health and social care.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Government is considering reports of the Public Administration Select Committee into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this inquiry, the Cabinet Office is undertaking work to further investigate how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the public sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to these reports in due course.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what investigations they are undertaking into the nutrition and health of children and vulnerable adults when sanctions are imposed on individuals who lose their benefits.

    Lord Freud

    The Department does not monitor nutrition.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will consider changing student loan payments from three termly instalments to monthly instalments; and what steps his Department has taken to help students learn to budget.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Government is not currently intending to change student loan payments from three termly instalments to monthly instalments. Payments of living costs support for full-time students in higher education at the start of each term give students the flexibility to meet up-front costs such as accommodation costs.

    Advice on effective budgeting is available through the BIS Student Finance Tour where recent graduates share their personal experience with prospective students on how to manage their living costs spending while at university. Around 120,000 prospective students attended the Tour in 2013, and the aim is to increase this number to 140,000 in 2014. Budgeting advice is also available through university student support services including the Money Doctors Initiative. Additional resources are available through the National Union of Students and the National Association of Student Money Advisers.

  • Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of academy trusts did not submit their account returns on time (a) in the current year, (b) in 2013, (c) in 2012 and (d) in 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    The number and proportion of academy trusts that did not submit an accounts return on time is detailed in the table below:

    Financial year

    Date due

    Number late

    Percentage late

    2012-13

    31 January 2014

    166

    7.6%

    2011-12

    31 January 2013

    119

    8.2%

    2010-11

    31 January 2011

    100

    17.4%

    Academies were not required to submit accounts returns prior to 2010-11.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Crowdfunding and peer to peer lending are innovative new forms of finance that support competition in the business lending sector. The Government has taken a number of steps to support their growth.

    The Government has no current plans to commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in each police force area have been caught speeding and received points on their driving licence in each of the last five years.

    Damian Green

    The maximum penalty for speeding is a fine of up to £1,000 and for speeding on a motorway, £2,500. The courts also have the power to disqualify the offender from driving and must in any event endorse the offender’s licence by between three and six penalty points. Alternatively, if the police decide that the nature of the offence was less serious, they may offer the motorist the opportunity to receive a fixed penalty notice instead of prosecution. If a fixed penalty is issued, the driver may instead chose to plead innocence or mitigating factors in court, and if convicted, any sentence will be decided within the maximum penalty limit and in line with sentencing guidelines.

    The number of persons receiving endorsements only on their driving licence for speeding offences at all courts in England and Wales by police force area from 2008 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the attached table.

    Please note that court proceedings statistics for the year 2013 are planned to be published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2014.